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Post by davep on Jan 27, 2023 15:32:11 GMT
I agree with Andy that a right back (on loan for the rest of the season?) and another (young?) striker would seem most likely. I would be surprised if we sign another wide player as we currently have David, Enzio, Josh, Will and Lee (who has been playing on the wing for Bradford City) - with Luke understood to be moving so he can have more playing time elsewhere. Crawley have been having a big clear out lately - and given Matt's connection with that club, wouldn't surprise me to see someone arrive from there.
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Post by baboonfish on Jan 27, 2023 15:45:42 GMT
On another note, where do you think it went so wrong in the summer with recruitment? My feeling is there was a serious lack of any real quality available, but also the club panicked. I don't know how much competitive football Thomas, Gambin and Pierre have played, but it's obvious we could have managed without them. Not sure we won many (any?) games which they were involved in, either. If they were genuine targets rather than panic buys, hopefully it was just a blip in our scouting rather than any deficiency. Hindsight is wonderful, and I am sure Matt and the club will have learned greatly from failure, as we all do.
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Post by terrier on Jan 27, 2023 15:56:52 GMT
Wouldn’t be surprised to see George Francomb come to GGL from Crawley Town, where he’s been frozen out. Defender/defensive midfielder who had a good spell with AFCW a few seasons ago.
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Post by localboy86 on Jan 27, 2023 17:11:44 GMT
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Post by garethl on Jan 27, 2023 17:59:21 GMT
On another note, where do you think it went so wrong in the summer with recruitment? My feeling is there was a serious lack of any real quality available, but also the club panicked. I don't know how much competitive football Thomas, Gambin and Pierre have played, but it's obvious we could have managed without them. Not sure we won many (any?) games which they were involved in, either. If they were genuine targets rather than panic buys, hopefully it was just a blip in our scouting rather than any deficiency. Hindsight is wonderful, and I am sure Matt and the club will have learned greatly from failure, as we all do. I don’t really recognise it as going so wrong, nor do I think we panicked, nor do I view it at this stage as a failure. Given our status recruiting to improve significantly is going to be very tough. In the summer the crucial thing was to keep our most successful ever team together. In the main we did so, this is one of the biggest achievements in the club’s summer history. Other bits round the edges were filling some squad places - a couple mentioned above to come in and do a job if needed. They weren’t particularly needed in no small part due to the below. If injuries had hit in other areas of the field, not centre midfield or centre defence and instead it was their areas we would have seen them play more. Of course Thomas has also had at least 1 injury. Additionally we’ve taken on Fadahunsi and Ridley who were both clearly planning for the future and identified potential. Not for the here and now. Though Fadahunsi got into the equation because of his early impact. On top of that the strides that Kouassi has made meant he overtook Thomas in the pecking order which probably wasn’t necessarily expected, though he is highly thought of and Matt made it clear he was not going out on loan. We’re certainly not going to get every signing spot on and some may work out down the line. I’d add it’s surely too early to judge Pierre given he hasn’t really played or got match fit yet? He’s played higher regularly than pretty much the whole squad. Maybe next season he’ll be a star.
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Post by Andy K on Jan 27, 2023 19:53:47 GMT
On another note, where do you think it went so wrong in the summer with recruitment? My feeling is there was a serious lack of any real quality available, but also the club panicked. I don't know how much competitive football Thomas, Gambin and Pierre have played, but it's obvious we could have managed without them. Not sure we won many (any?) games which they were involved in, either. If they were genuine targets rather than panic buys, hopefully it was just a blip in our scouting rather than any deficiency. Hindsight is wonderful, and I am sure Matt and the club will have learned greatly from failure, as we all do. I'm sure by pure coincidence Neufville and Rose had skipped your mind. Add to that the more obvious emphasis on players for the future, the fact that financially we can't compete with many clubs at this level and the club are aware that will have to be a significant investment in the infrastructure in the rather near future then I'd respectfully say that a lot of the blip is probably more down to not seeing the bigger picture. Pierre has played 9 mins of league football for us, mostly due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. So to judge him as a failure is harsh. Gambin never started a league game and was obviously signed as a backup so therefore a weaker player than those in the starting XI. Thomas is probably the only one we can really say misfired. As we don't know what happens behind the scenes I don't think I could judge the wisdom of the purchase with any definite judgement; it could be a multitude of reasons why it didn't work out for him. Anyone who followed us in the Dos era would know very well how many players came in and went out without leaving their mark. Remember who Matt has signed already. Goodliffe, Randall, Bugeil, Ajiboye. Rowe. Kizzi. Smith. To name but a few. There are many more hits than misses on his record.
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Post by toothman on Jan 27, 2023 21:22:34 GMT
Copy of a post on the NTT20 forum from a MK Dons fan
"I’ll be interested to hear how Dennis gets on. He has real potential. Was thrust into our team early in the season following injuries to Eisa and Grigg. He had some promising moments without ever putting together a solid, 90-minute performance.
In fact he was basically the only bright spark in the team during the first bleak couple of months of the season. He has faded since then, and neither Manning nor Jackson has really fancied him beyond the odd substitute appearance.
Anyway, good with his back to goal at hold-up play and rolling his marker, but also has the pace to run in behind.
Only issue is that there were widespread rumours that he was dropped from squads for being late to stuff. Don’t know if it’s true but it would figure because he certainly deserved at least a spot on the bench at the time. "
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pauld
Youth Team Player
Glory hunting since 2017
Posts: 131
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Post by pauld on Jan 27, 2023 21:53:25 GMT
Moves involving League 2 teams as of 27 Jan 9.52. Data taken from BBC Website
BARROW Elliot Newby [Stockport - Barrow] Rory Feely [Bohemians - Barrow] Jake Young [Bradford - Barrow]
BRADFORD Matt Derbyshire [NorthEast United - Bradford] Ciaran Kelly [Bohemians - Bradford] Thierry Nevers [West Ham - Bradford] Dara Costelloe [Burnley - Bradford] Tolaji Bola [Rotherham - Bradford] Adam Clayton [Doncaster - Bradford] OUT Jake Young [Bradford - Barrow] OUT Matthew Foulds [Bradford - Harrogate] OUT Yann Songo'o [Bradford - Walsall]
CARLISLE Jack Robinson [Middlesbrough - Carlisle] Alfie McCalmont [Leeds - Carlisle] John-Kymani Gordon [Crystal Palace - Carlisle] Joe Garner [Fleetwood - Carlisle]
COLCHESTER Connor Wood [Leyton Orient - Colchester] Arthur Read [Stevenage - Colchester] Fiacre Kelleher [Bradford - Colchester] Connor Hall [Port Vale - Colchester] Matt Jay [Exeter - Colchester] Will Greenidge [West Ham - Colchester] Tom Hopper [Lincoln - Colchester] OUT Tom Eastman [Colchester - Harrogate]
CRAWLEY Ben Gladwin [Swindon - Crawley] OUT Glenn Morris [Crawley - Gillingham]
CREWE James Beadle [Brighton - Crewe] Ryan Finnigan [Southampton - Crewe] David Amoo [Stevenage - Crewe]
DONCASTER James Brown [Blackburn – Doncaster] Ben Nelson [Leicester - Doncaster] Caolan Lavery [Scunthorpe - Doncaster] Charlie Lakin [Burton - Doncaster] OUT Kyle Knoyle [Doncaster - Stockport] OUT Adam Clayton [Doncaster - Bradford]
GILLINGHAM Tom Nichols [Crawley - Gillingham] Timothee Dieng [Exeter - Gillingham] Oli Hawkins [Mansfield - Gillingham] Glenn Morris [Crawley - Gillingham] George Lapslie [Mansfield - Gillingham] Jayden Clarke [Dulwich Hamlet - Gillingham] Ethan Coleman [Leyton Orient - Gillingham] Conor Masterson [QPR - Gillingham]
GRIMSBY TOWN Mikey O'Neill [Preston - Grimsby]
HARTLEPOOL Matty Dolan [Newport - Hartlepool] Peter Hartley [Jamshedpur - Hartlepool] Daniel Dodds [Middlesbrough - Hartlepool] Edon Pruti [Brentford - Hartlepool] Jakub Stolarczyk [Leicester - Hartlepool] Tayt Trusty [Blackpool - Hartlepool]
HARROGATE Toby Sims [Unattached - Harrogate] Anthony O'Connor [Morecambe - Harrogate] Matthew Foulds [Bradford - Harrogate] Tom Eastman [Colchester - Harrogate]
MANSFIELD Callum Johnson [Ross County - Mansfield] Alfie Kilgour [Bristol Rovers - Mansfield] Louis Reed [Swindon - Mansfield] OUT Oli Hawkins [Mansfield - Gillingham] OUT George Lapslie [Mansfield - Gillingham]
NEWPORT COUNTY Harry Charsley [Port Vale - Newport] Matt Baker [Stoke - Newport]
NORTHAMPTON Tom King [Salford - Northampton] Will Hondermarck [Barnsley - Northampton]
ORIENT Ed Turns [Brighton - Leyton Orient] Jamie McCart [Rotherham - Leyton Orient] Ethan Coleman [Leyton Orient - Gillingham] Jordan Lyden [Unattached - Leyton Orient] Kieran Sadlier [Bolton - Leyton Orient]
ROCHDALE Jake Eastwood [Sheff Utd - Rochdale] D'Mani Mellor [Wycombe - Rochdale] Owen Dodgson [Burnley - Rochdale]
SALFORD Alex Cairns [Fleetwood - Salford] Shane McLoughlin [Morecambe - Salford] OUT Tom King [Salford - Northampton]
STEVENAGE Jake Forster-Caskey [Charlton - Stevenage] Daryl Horgan [Wycombe - Stevenage] OUT David Amoo [Stevenage - Crewe]
STOCKPORT Neill Byrne [Tranmere - Stockport] Isaac Olaofe [Millwall - Stockport] Kyle Knoyle [Doncaster - Stockport] OUT Olly Crankshaw [Stockport - Motherwell]
SUTTON UNITED David Ajiboye [Peterborough – Sutton] Lee Angol [Bradford - Sutton] Matt Dennis [MK Dons - Sutton] Hisham Kasimu [Farnborough - Sutton]
SWINDON Charlie Austin [Unattached - Swindon] Jake Cain [Liverpool - Swindon] OUT Louis Reed [Swindon - Mansfield] OUT Ben Gladwin [Swindon - Crawley]
TRANMERE Harvey Saunders [Bristol Rovers - Tranmere] Brad Walker [Port Vale - Tranmere] OUT Ross Doohan [Tranmere - Forest Green] OUT Elliott Nevitt [Tranmere - Crewe]
WALSALL Joe Low [Bristol City - Walsall] Robbie Willmott [Newport - Walsall] Jamille Matt [Forest Green - Walsall] Jackson Smith [Wolves - Walsall] Yann Songo'o [Bradford - Walsall]
WIMBLEDON Sam Pearson [Bristol City - AFC Wimbledon] Ali Al-Hamadi [Wycombe - AFC Wimbledon] Armani Little [Forest Green - AFC Wimbledon] Saikou Janneh [Cambridge - AFC Wimbledon] OUT Ayoub Assal [AFC Wimbledon - Al-Wakrah]
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Post by baboonfish on Jan 28, 2023 0:11:17 GMT
On another note, where do you think it went so wrong in the summer with recruitment? My feeling is there was a serious lack of any real quality available, but also the club panicked. I don't know how much competitive football Thomas, Gambin and Pierre have played, but it's obvious we could have managed without them. Not sure we won many (any?) games which they were involved in, either. If they were genuine targets rather than panic buys, hopefully it was just a blip in our scouting rather than any deficiency. Hindsight is wonderful, and I am sure Matt and the club will have learned greatly from failure, as we all do. I'm sure by pure coincidence Neufville and Rose had skipped your mind. Add to that the more obvious emphasis on players for the future, the fact that financially we can't compete with many clubs at this level and the club are aware that will have to be a significant investment in the infrastructure in the rather near future then I'd respectfully say that a lot of the blip is probably more down to not seeing the bigger picture. Pierre has played 9 mins of league football for us, mostly due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. So to judge him as a failure is harsh. Gambin never started a league game and was obviously signed as a backup so therefore a weaker player than those in the starting XI. Thomas is probably the only one we can really say misfired. As we don't know what happens behind the scenes I don't think I could judge the wisdom of the purchase with any definite judgement; it could be a multitude of reasons why it didn't work out for him. Anyone who followed us in the Dos era would know very well how many players came in and went out without leaving their mark. Remember who Matt has signed already. Goodliffe, Randall, Bugeil, Ajiboye. Rowe. Kizzi. Smith. To name but a few. There are many more hits than misses on his record. I never get this defend the club at all costs mentality. WAAAAY more is learned from failure than success, trust me, I run businesses and have pursued creative endevours throughout my life. Without my many mistakes, little was learned. To say something failed is not an attack, but an observation. The three signings I mention failed, like it or not. Matt would be the first to admit it, I am sure. Fair point about Dos's revolving door, Matt's recruitment has been far more measured and with a better hit rate. Hence why the summer recruitment stands out. Given his superb recruitment generally, I am intrigued to know why Matt went for those players if they were considered purchases, rather than due to a shortage of options. If so, then I consider it more of a failure than mild panic (calm yourself - remember, failure guides the path to success). Thomas was never going to fit our system, Gambin looked average against Dulwich let alone L2 teams, and how Pierre passed any kind of medical I don't really know. He's looked totally out of shape except for 2 minutes against Salford. He may still come good, I suppose. No I haven't 'conveniently' forgotten any successful signings. Rose has turned into a solid purchase although he and the club have clearly worked hard on his drop kicks, and Josh looked like a handful at times. Shame as it looks like left wing is his best position, and Randall has that sewn up. He was hopeles up top but all considered he's been a success. We shall see about the rest. The young defender we signed from MK Dons looked like a really promising player but we've not seen him in action since pre season. Fadahunsi could be a gem, too and I look forward to seeing how he gets on with regular starts. I'll say it again as some of you don't seem to understand how negative comments aren't always an attack - Matt's recruitment has generally been excellent, hence why summer stands out, and hence my question. I would be very surprised if we had a similarly poor transfer window ever again under Matt, as he strikes me as someone who learns quickly from his occasional FAILURE (there, I said it again).
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Post by garethl on Jan 28, 2023 9:30:14 GMT
I'm sure by pure coincidence Neufville and Rose had skipped your mind. Add to that the more obvious emphasis on players for the future, the fact that financially we can't compete with many clubs at this level and the club are aware that will have to be a significant investment in the infrastructure in the rather near future then I'd respectfully say that a lot of the blip is probably more down to not seeing the bigger picture. Pierre has played 9 mins of league football for us, mostly due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. So to judge him as a failure is harsh. Gambin never started a league game and was obviously signed as a backup so therefore a weaker player than those in the starting XI. Thomas is probably the only one we can really say misfired. As we don't know what happens behind the scenes I don't think I could judge the wisdom of the purchase with any definite judgement; it could be a multitude of reasons why it didn't work out for him. Anyone who followed us in the Dos era would know very well how many players came in and went out without leaving their mark. Remember who Matt has signed already. Goodliffe, Randall, Bugeil, Ajiboye. Rowe. Kizzi. Smith. To name but a few. There are many more hits than misses on his record. I never get this defend the club at all costs mentality. WAAAAY more is learned from failure than success, trust me, I run businesses and have pursued creative endevours throughout my life. Without my many mistakes, little was learned. To say something failed is not an attack, but an observation. The three signings I mention failed, like it or not. Matt would be the first to admit it, I am sure. Fair point about Dos's revolving door, Matt's recruitment has been far more measured and with a better hit rate. Hence why the summer recruitment stands out. Given his superb recruitment generally, I am intrigued to know why Matt went for those players if they were considered purchases, rather than due to a shortage of options. If so, then I consider it more of a failure than mild panic (calm yourself - remember, failure guides the path to success). Thomas was never going to fit our system, Gambin looked average against Dulwich let alone L2 teams, and how Pierre passed any kind of medical I don't really know. He's looked totally out of shape except for 2 minutes against Salford. He may still come good, I suppose. No I haven't 'conveniently' forgotten any successful signings. Rose has turned into a solid purchase although he and the club have clearly worked hard on his drop kicks, and Josh looked like a handful at times. Shame as it looks like left wing is his best position, and Randall has that sewn up. He was hopeles up top but all considered he's been a success. We shall see about the rest. The young defender we signed from MK Dons looked like a really promising player but we've not seen him in action since pre season. Fadahunsi could be a gem, too and I look forward to seeing how he gets on with regular starts. I'll say it again as some of you don't seem to understand how negative comments aren't always an attack - Matt's recruitment has generally been excellent, hence why summer stands out, and hence my question. I would be very surprised if we had a similarly poor transfer window ever again under Matt, as he strikes me as someone who learns quickly from his occasional FAILURE (there, I said it again). You may well have run businesses but I doubt you’ve ever managed a professional football club. Anyone expecting 100% hit rate on new signings is living in an alternative universe, maybe one of those creative ones you mention. I’ve no doubt the club will make mistakes along the way and learn from them but if you’d like to provide a method of cast iron certainty for a club operating in our talent market then I’m sure there is a role for you. What do you suppose might be learnt from these failures involving subjective judgements?
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Post by davethegrave on Jan 28, 2023 10:17:31 GMT
Dos of course wasn't restricted by the Transfer Window. He could trade all the time up to the transfer deadline.
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Post by baboonfish on Jan 28, 2023 10:26:24 GMT
I never get this defend the club at all costs mentality. WAAAAY more is learned from failure than success, trust me, I run businesses and have pursued creative endevours throughout my life. Without my many mistakes, little was learned. To say something failed is not an attack, but an observation. The three signings I mention failed, like it or not. Matt would be the first to admit it, I am sure. Fair point about Dos's revolving door, Matt's recruitment has been far more measured and with a better hit rate. Hence why the summer recruitment stands out. Given his superb recruitment generally, I am intrigued to know why Matt went for those players if they were considered purchases, rather than due to a shortage of options. If so, then I consider it more of a failure than mild panic (calm yourself - remember, failure guides the path to success). Thomas was never going to fit our system, Gambin looked average against Dulwich let alone L2 teams, and how Pierre passed any kind of medical I don't really know. He's looked totally out of shape except for 2 minutes against Salford. He may still come good, I suppose. No I haven't 'conveniently' forgotten any successful signings. Rose has turned into a solid purchase although he and the club have clearly worked hard on his drop kicks, and Josh looked like a handful at times. Shame as it looks like left wing is his best position, and Randall has that sewn up. He was hopeles up top but all considered he's been a success. We shall see about the rest. The young defender we signed from MK Dons looked like a really promising player but we've not seen him in action since pre season. Fadahunsi could be a gem, too and I look forward to seeing how he gets on with regular starts. I'll say it again as some of you don't seem to understand how negative comments aren't always an attack - Matt's recruitment has generally been excellent, hence why summer stands out, and hence my question. I would be very surprised if we had a similarly poor transfer window ever again under Matt, as he strikes me as someone who learns quickly from his occasional FAILURE (there, I said it again). You may well have run businesses but I doubt you’ve ever managed a professional football club. Anyone expecting 100% hit rate on new signings is living in an alternative universe, maybe one of those creative ones you mention. I’ve no doubt the club will make mistakes along the way and learn from them but if you’d like to provide a method of cast iron certainty for a club operating in our talent market then I’m sure there is a role for you. What do you suppose might be learnt from these failures involving subjective judgements? Unless you're gonna count 1000s of hours wasted on football manager, and running a Sunday league side then no, you are correct in your assumption. At what point did I say I expect a perfect success rate? You really don't seem to understand my point of view, which is inquisitive rather than overtly critical (although criticism is part of inquisition). I like to analyse and debate rather than blindly praise. I just find it interesting that the club signed these players. Thomas is a static target man, whereas our system requires mobility. Kendall I could understand as he had pace and on another occasion may have worked out. Yes there were some good signings and ones for the future, but it was a poor transfer window by Matt's lofty standards. I'm not sure how that is even debatable.
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Post by Andy K on Jan 28, 2023 10:28:29 GMT
I'm sure by pure coincidence Neufville and Rose had skipped your mind. Add to that the more obvious emphasis on players for the future, the fact that financially we can't compete with many clubs at this level and the club are aware that will have to be a significant investment in the infrastructure in the rather near future then I'd respectfully say that a lot of the blip is probably more down to not seeing the bigger picture. Pierre has played 9 mins of league football for us, mostly due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. So to judge him as a failure is harsh. Gambin never started a league game and was obviously signed as a backup so therefore a weaker player than those in the starting XI. Thomas is probably the only one we can really say misfired. As we don't know what happens behind the scenes I don't think I could judge the wisdom of the purchase with any definite judgement; it could be a multitude of reasons why it didn't work out for him. Anyone who followed us in the Dos era would know very well how many players came in and went out without leaving their mark. Remember who Matt has signed already. Goodliffe, Randall, Bugeil, Ajiboye. Rowe. Kizzi. Smith. To name but a few. There are many more hits than misses on his record. I never get this defend the club at all costs mentality. WAAAAY more is learned from failure than success, trust me, I run businesses and have pursued creative endevours throughout my life. Without my many mistakes, little was learned. To say something failed is not an attack, but an observation. The three signings I mention failed, like it or not. Matt would be the first to admit it, I am sure. Fair point about Dos's revolving door, Matt's recruitment has been far more measured and with a better hit rate. Hence why the summer recruitment stands out. Given his superb recruitment generally, I am intrigued to know why Matt went for those players if they were considered purchases, rather than due to a shortage of options. If so, then I consider it more of a failure than mild panic (calm yourself - remember, failure guides the path to success). Thomas was never going to fit our system, Gambin looked average against Dulwich let alone L2 teams, and how Pierre passed any kind of medical I don't really know. He's looked totally out of shape except for 2 minutes against Salford. He may still come good, I suppose. No I haven't 'conveniently' forgotten any successful signings. Rose has turned into a solid purchase although he and the club have clearly worked hard on his drop kicks, and Josh looked like a handful at times. Shame as it looks like left wing is his best position, and Randall has that sewn up. He was hopeles up top but all considered he's been a success. We shall see about the rest. The young defender we signed from MK Dons looked like a really promising player but we've not seen him in action since pre season. Fadahunsi could be a gem, too and I look forward to seeing how he gets on with regular starts. I'll say it again as some of you don't seem to understand how negative comments aren't always an attack - Matt's recruitment has generally been excellent, hence why summer stands out, and hence my question. I would be very surprised if we had a similarly poor transfer window ever again under Matt, as he strikes me as someone who learns quickly from his occasional FAILURE (there, I said it again). I think I've already addressed the point about whether they were panic buys or not. The only one I think you can consider to be in that category would be Pierre, who if Goodliffe hadn't have picked up a serious injury in the first game of the season may well have not been signed. By the same token I go back to what I previously said. 9 mins of league action isn't really enough to judge any player. I've acknowledged Thomas, and throw into that Kendall as two that misfired. But we're not talking about an Ali Dia situation. Matt and his team track and watch players. Gambin had obviously done enough over the friendlies to keep him at that stage. I agree that with hindsight mistakes were made. No one is doubting that. But to describe it as a great failure, whilst ignoring the ones that obviously were not is not showing a true picture. And also forgetting what the strategy was this season. To add, not specifically rebuild a team. The opening day of the season line up proved that.
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Post by davep on Jan 28, 2023 10:34:04 GMT
If you consider our 4 x EFL transfer windows (to the best of my recollection - and apologies if I've forgotten anyone):
1. Summer first season - good - brought in the likes of Kizzi, Boldewijn, Smith, Korboa and Bennett - brought back Wilson and Tanto. Lost no one Matt wanted to keep.
2. Winter first season - OK - no one in, Tobi Sho Silva allowed to leave.
3. Summer second season - Rose, Ward, Hart, Pierre, Neufville, Gambin, Thomas, Fadahunsi, Ogungde, Ridley, Kendall all brought in - Kouassi and Charles-Cook promoted internally. Ajiboye, Tanto, Bennett, Bouzanis, Nelson, Wyatt, Davis, Korboa all out. I'd say that we lost a few top players that we could not replace like for like because of financial constraints - but good signs in terms of recruiting with the future in mind - which a club with our limited finances needs to do. I think this window probably felt worse than it actually was as it was accompanied by losing players like Goodliffe, Smith, Barden, Rowe and Beautyman (amongst others) to injury.
4. Winter second season - so far - Angol, Ajiboye, Dennis, Kasimu in - Kendall, Thomas, Fadahunsi (short term) out. Gambin expected to go out (maybe playing back in Malta might help his international chances?) and maybe loans for one or two others (like House) with National League teams? If this window closed today, I would be happy enough. Matt appears to have pulled out the stops, within what our financial constraints will allow, to address the key issue of lack of goals from our strikers. There are signings that could be classified as 'gambles' - but realistically we weren't ever going to get Haaland or Mbappe.
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Post by baboonfish on Jan 28, 2023 10:43:35 GMT
Where have I said a great failure? Nope, just a bog standard regular one. The size of medium, non-fatal failure we all make in life and business. Interesting you mention Ali Dia as I have a feeling Pierre has pulled the wool over a few people's eyes, not in footballing terms but medical. It's not since Danny Kedwell 4 or so seasons back have I seen an outfield player step onto a football field so obviously out of shape.
To answer my own point, thinking about it logically I guess Thomas was signed as a like for like for Richie Bennet. The difference being Bennett was a beast, whereas Thomas didn't quite have enough physical presence to disrupt defences the way Bennett could as an impact sub. Gambin is just a head scratcher for me, but I appreciate he may show more behind closed doors than I've seen. Fine, you don't think they were panic purchases, perhaps you're right. As I keep saying, if not then i'm merely interested in what the club saw in them.
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